Just last year, the legendary Exorcist horror franchise made an attempt at a big cultural comeback. Directed by David Gordon Green, the filmmaker behind Blumhouse’s revival of the Halloween franchise, 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer was to be the start of a bold new trilogy that continued the legacy of the 1973 original, going so far as to bring back Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair in their iconic roles.

Unfortunately, the reboot failed to conjure up any new believers. Both critically and commercially, the legacy sequel fell significantly short of its lofty ambitions, and it looks like Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions are going back to the drawing board once again. The plans for a modern trilogy have officially been scrapped and a new voice is being brought onboard to steer the ship in a different direction - none other than esteemed filmmaker Mike Flanagan.

While Green is certainly no slouch when it comes to telling frightening and entertaining stories, Flanagan has a tremendous track record all his own. Besides feature films like Hush, Ouija: Origin of Evil, and the Stephen King adaptations Gerald’s Game and Doctor Sleep, Flanagan is best known for his acclaimed Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor, Midnight Mass, The Midnight Club, and The Fall of the House of Usher.

The Salem, Massachusetts filmmaker will write, direct, and produce the upcoming reboot for Blumhouse, and he shared his excitement in an official statement that reads: “The Exorcist is one of the reasons I became a filmmaker, and it is an honor to have the chance to try something fresh, bold, and terrifying within its universe. Reuniting with my friends at Blumhouse, with whom I’ve made some of my favorite pieces of work, only makes this more exciting.”

What do you think of this new direction for the Exorcist franchise? Are you excited to see what Flanagan does with it or do you wish we could’ve seen where Believer was going to go next?